‘Americans have VERY LIMITED options to leave Israel’ amid war with Iran: Mike Huckabee

Amid escalated tensions between Israel and Iran, the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said on Tuesday (March 3) that there are "VERY LIMITED options" for Americans who are currently residing in Israel. He said that at present, it is best to utilise the Israeli Ministry of Tourism shuttle bus to Taba, Egypt and from there, the Americans must get flights to Cairo and then back to the US.

"We are getting a lot of requests regarding evacuating from Israel from American citizens who are currently in Israel or who have family here," Huckabee said. The Ambassador added that it is not advised to exit via Jordan amid the bombings.

"All of our personnel from the embassy are sheltering in place, but I realise you may need to get people out and back home and not continue to incur hotel costs," he said. The Ambassador shared details and websites as "recommendations" for the Americans to evacuate the country in the best possible manner for now.

As per the Health Ministry of Israel, in the past 24 hours, around 289 people were injured and taken to the hospital due to the conflict with Iran. Among the injured, around 19 were reported in moderate condition, and 258 were in good condition. The report by the ministry said around eight people were treated for anxiety, and four were under medical evaluation.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia announced the cancellation of all consular appointments “due to an attack on the facility" suspectedly by Iranian drones on Tuesday. The defence ministry of Saudi Arabia previously confirmed the attack and said it caused “limited fire and minor material damages.”

“All routine and emergency American Citizen Services appointments are cancelled. The shelter in place notification for Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dhahran remains in place and we recommend American citizens in the Kingdom also continue to shelter in place,” the embassy wrote on X.